


The Frost Stone

by SeaCrest



Series: Like Pebbles in a Pond [2]
Category: Those Who Went Missing
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-22 20:57:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13772409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeaCrest/pseuds/SeaCrest
Summary: In which Isa returns something lost.





	1. Something Strange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Isa finds something cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an entry for the [Fresh Waters Biome Event](https://thosewhowentmissing.deviantart.com/journal/Fresh-Waters-Biome-Event-quest-rules-updated-725732021) at [Those Who Went Missing](https://thosewhowentmissing.deviantart.com/), an ARPG on deviantART. If you have any questions, please visit the group page; I cannot help you.
> 
> Cross-posted [here](https://seacrest-star.deviantart.com/art/The-Frost-Stone-Something-Strange-731611179).

As Isa traveled, she noticed with some perplexity that it was growing _colder_ , when the afternoon sun should have been making the temperature rise. She wasn't traveling in the shade, either, following a rocky crest that the stream had carved its way around. The full sun was shining, and yet, she felt like it was colder than when she had begun. The hawk in the sky appeared to be unaffected by this strange shift in temperature, so it must be localized, Isa thought to herself as she paused to look around. A glittering array of rocks with silicate crystals caught her eye - they were curiously out of place by their placement and shape, a handful of jagged edges on the dusty ground. They looked like they had been dropped there, or placed there, by someone or something, rather than falling their naturally. Leaving the stream for the moment, Isa went over to prod at them with a paw, circling them curiously. It didn't occur to her to be wary of them, because they hardly seemed threatening, but there was a part of her that was hyper-aware of her surroundings, in case whoever had placed the rocks there was still in the vicinity. Even though an esk needed to fear very little in terms of predators, there was still an instinctive fear reaction in all of the other esks that she had met, and in herself as well. A fight or flight reaction that indicated their organic roots, in the before, when they had been mortal and subject to the same physical needs and risks that all other creatures were. 

A quiet _crack_  split the air, a slow, sharp sound that wasn't quite just one sound, but a string of sounds, tripping over each other in haste. Isa jumped, blinking back several feet instinctively. Flattening herself against the rock, she looked around, trying to see what it was that had startled her so. It hadn't even been particularly loud, merely unexpected in the _shushing_  ambient noise of the breeze over the oasis landscape. A sparkle to her right caught her eye, and she turned, trying to get a better look at it. Something glittered white on the rocks, a few feet past the silicates, something...something unnatural.

An esk is deeply in tune with their environment. After decades spent as an esk, Isa had explored almost every nook and cranny an oasis had to offer, and knew what was natural and what was not. This...this glittering swathe did not belong here. Already knowing what she would find, Isa approached the sparkling patch, only to confirm her suspicions; a swirling pattern of frost ferns hugged the rock, somehow still frozen despite the heat of the afternoon desert sun. Ice, here? She shivered, looking around. Had some frost elemental come here? They would have to be an abnormal, to use their powers here in the desert...and if it _was_ another esk, who was able to use their powers here, Isa was at a significant disadvantage if they were a trespasser bent on doing harm. Another traveler would be less dangerous, but even among those who identified as travelers, there were varying levels of compassion and benevolence. Isa thought of herself as a very stereotypical traveler, one who tried to guide lost souls and help any creature that she came across. She very seldom performed Transformations, first because she had been a young esk who didn't quite understand what being an esk meant - she didn't want to inflict that on another creature unless she would be able to guide them on their journey - and second because despite an oasis being, by all accounts, a place where those lost in the desert would find solace, she had rarely received truly lost souls, and when her oasis had dried up, the lost ones had all but disappeared. They lost themselves in other places, where Isa could only comfort them. She could not Transform them unless they were in the remains of her oasis, no matter how much she might wish she was able to help them.

Examining the pattern of the frost, Isa saw that it formed a sort of teardrop shape, its edges softened by the spiraling shapes of the fern frost, unusual in their appearance on an uneven surface, let alone in the middle of the desert. She had only ever seen frost ferns such as these on the windows of human dwellings in the bitter cold winters, never in nature. A chill ran down her spine as she approached the bright white shape at the round end of the teardrop, feeling the cold envelop her. As she drew closer, she recognized that it was a stone, a perfectly spherical, completely unnatural white stone that glittered in the bright sunlight as if it, too, were frosted. Ever so cautiously, Isa went to touch it, and drew back almost immediately. The thing was freezing cold, and bore the feel of powerful enchantment. Tilting her head to the side, Isa reached out with telekinesis, brushing against it with her mind, and that, too, made her flinch, although it was much more bearable this way. Gently, she floated the stone in the air, circling it to examine it. 

It was roughly the size of her head, a perfect sphere with no blemishes or discoloration, giving off a cold aura. When she put it back down, it didn't roll away, despite the gently sloping surface of the rocks. Wisps of frost and fog peeled away from its surface whenever she moved it, whether it be by touch or by telekinesis, and she grew increasingly confused when she realized that if she picked it up and moved with it, the ice would reform under her paws, always pointing in the same direction. She surmised that the ice must be some kind of compass, but for what reason? Did the stone belong somewhere else, or was she being led into a trap?

She examined the stone again, trying to read the intent of the magic upon it, but found nothing. All she got for her efforts were images of a frozen lake, and a single, glistening eye. Moving far enough from the stone that she could sit down on sun-warmed rock rather than icy frost, Isa considered her options. One; she could leave the stone where it was, and forget about it. She could find another adventure, one that was less mysterious. But then she would never find the answer of the rock's origin, and what the strange frost compass was meant to be doing. Two; she could go to the Conservatory and ask the Grandmother. Surely she would know what the origin of this strange stone was, and could tell Isa if it was dangerous. But that would not be as rewarding as finding the answer for herself, and someone might come along in the meantime and take the stone for themselves. Not that Isa was intent upon keeping the stone; if it belonged somewhere, she would of course relinquish it. But it was so very intriguing, and would provide some interest to her barren oasis. And three; she could take the stone and follow its frosty compass, to find the answers for herself.

There really was no question as to which option Isa would choose. She was inquisitive by nature, a collector of knowledge, and this was the perfect opportunity. What did she have to fear, truly? A moment's thought would take her back home to her oasis, or to the Conservatory, no matter where she was. Getting to her feet, Isa approached the stone once again, picking it up with telepathy so that she was able to walk with it. Briefly, she wondered if she could teleport _with_  the stone; a quick attempt proved that indeed, she could. But too much teleportation and she would lose the guidance of the frost compass, if she moved too quickly, and so Isa settled in for a long, long journey. She had time.

She was an esk, after all, and time for her was fluid already. However many hours this adventure took, she would see it to the end.


	2. The Winter Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Isa finds that not all things that are lost are missed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an entry for the [Fresh Waters Biome Event](https://thosewhowentmissing.deviantart.com/journal/Fresh-Waters-Biome-Event-quest-rules-updated-725732021) at [Those Who Went Missing](https://thosewhowentmissing.deviantart.com/), an ARPG on deviantART. If you have any questions, please visit the group page; I cannot help you.
> 
> Cross-posted [here](https://seacrest-star.deviantart.com/art/The-Frost-Stone-The-Winter-Forest-732430364).

Isa had walked for a long time. She wasn't sure for how long, but she had walked through the dark and through the light, and now she was in a thickly populated evergreen forest, the stone's artificial chill blending with the true, natural cold of this northern biome. The stone came with her when she Blinked, and she took advantage of this fact from time to time, although being in unfamiliar territory, her range was small. She would hop from tree to tree, traveling well above the forest floor, where she had noticed signs of human presence. There was a development nearby, if she was correct, and the stone's frosty compass continued to point her in that direction; she dutifully obeyed. She would see this adventure to the end, now that she had come so far. 

Being an esk, she felt no weariness of the body, but truth be told she was somewhat mentally exhausted, both from carrying the stone and from the concentration it took to traverse in an unfamiliar environment. She typically did better in her own biome, but the forest was somewhere where she felt terribly closed in and confined, trapped in the darkness the grew from the shadows of the trees surrounding her. Perching in a curly-limbed willow tree, Isa set the stone down in a hollow formed at the space where a branch met the trunk, and laid down to rest. Although she had no need to sleep, she decided that a nap would not be amiss, here in the protective tangle of branches, with the stone safely tucked in its little divot, where it could not roll away while she wasn't looking. To be fair, it hadn't ever rolled anywhere, no matter where she had put it down; it was as if the stone itself was somewhat sentient, and was patiently waiting to be carried to its destination.

#####  •••

Isa wasn't sure what woke her, but she came awake in a jolt of immediate awareness of another presence nearby. Strangely, her first instinct was to protect and hide the stone; she wrapped her body around it in an attempt to shield its bright white color, and listened hard. A rustle, loud and definitely _large_ , to her left made her peer between the twisting branches of her tree to try and identify whoever, whatever it was that was beyond the willow's reach. Cautiously, she reached out with her mind, attempting to glean information about this other presence without giving herself away. 

 _What is it, small one?_  The voice of another esk startled her, and she stood up, revealing herself to the large esk that was peering at her through the branches. _You are a long way from home._  

Isa did not get the sense that this esk was a trespasser; it was a traveler, like her, only much, much larger, as big as the tree in which Isa had taken her nap. Had she been on the forest floor, this other esk would loom over her and create a false forest around her, with its long, trailing tail covered in leaves, much like a willow itself. The dark eyes were friendly in a dark, sensitive face, that presently was waiting just beyond the branches, as if the other esk was being careful not to startle her too badly.

Weighing her options, Isa decided that she trusted this new esk, despite having never met it before. _I am called Isa. Is this your forest?_  

The other esk shook its head. _No. This is not my forest, although I thrive in the forest. I am called Rinth. What are you doing here?_  

Isa picked up the stone again, and was rewarded when the other esk's - Rinth's - eyes opened wide. She Blinked to the forest floor at Rinth's feet, and raised the stone up so that the looming esk could see it. _I found this in the desert, and I'm trying to find out where it came from._  She turned to look at the frost needle beneath their feet, noting that it was most definitely pointing towards the human settlement; she could sense it now, an aberration in nature with dead wood walls and enslaved fire. She could also sense water, beyond the human buildings; a wide, expansive lake of fresh water, the likes of which she hadn't seen in years. She'd always stayed within the desert, disliking the feeling of being somewhat diminished the further she got from the desert that was her home. 

Rinth considered the stone, brushing aside her tail as she turned to look at the frost compass. _If it is all the same to you, Isa, I will accompany you._  Amusement entered her mental voice now. _I believe I know where this stone belongs, and I'm not sure that they will appreciate its return._  

Isa paused. _You mean I should not take it back to where it came from?_  

Rinth shrugged, a very human gesture. _It will do you no harm to return it. Perhaps if you return it, and it is freely given to you, then it will stop trying to find its way back to where it is unwanted._  

The larger esk stooped to allow Isa to Blink onto her head, the stone floating above Rinth's nose as Isa gripped it with magic. Traveling by the strides of an esk the size of a weeping willow tree, Isa was making much better time now, and they reached the shore of the lake in a matter of minutes, passing through the town without being spotted by any humans; the settlement appeared to be empty. Perhaps it was meant for summer residences? Whatever it was, they were the only ones to witness the frost needle becoming a pathway of ice across the lake's surface, barely wide enough for Rinth to step out onto. 

 _Shall we continue?_  Rinth asked. They were still within the forest, so she felt no fear; this was her territory, although this wasn't necessarily her forest. She worried for Isa, who was a desert esk and was diminished within the forest, so far from her own biome. 

 _Yes,_  Isa answered with fierce determination. And so Rinth gingerly followed the path that the ice formed, and with every step it grew thicker, until the whole lake was covered in a thick sheet of ice, unseasonal and unnatural, but strangely beautiful to Isa, who had rarely seen winter's beauty despite her many years as an esk. The only landmark was an open circle, eerily perfect, like the stone Isa still held. The stone was vibrating now, producing a sort of hum; Rinth shifted in discomfort as it jarred her senses, but Isa seemed untouched, and so she Blinked down to the surface of the lake, hissing a little at how cold it was, and peered down into the circle, only to leap back in surprise and fear as an enormous catfish leaped out of the water at her. 

 _We have been trying to get rid of that stone for years and you idiot plant folk keep bringing it back to us! All winter we have to huddle here like fools just to keep this circle open... this lake is inhospitable when the ice closes us in thanks to that awful thing, I can't believe you stupid people keep bringing it back. You better get that evil away from here or I'll drag you down here to join us... get out!_  

Rinth stepped forward, making her presence known in a looming, dark shadow that seemed terribly threatening in the fading dusk light. _You are welcome to try, little fish,_  she said, lowering her dark head down to the catfish's eye level. _Perhaps you would best be served by identifying who calls the stone back here, rather than threatening those who only seek to right the wrongs they see in the world._  

Without letting him reply, Rinth turned away, her tail leaves sweeping over the hole and forcing the catfish to withdraw in a hurry, lest he be dragged from the water by the force of that sweeping train. _Come, Isa,_  Rinth said. _You have done your best, and now the stone belongs to you. We will see if it tries to return here again._  

Isa Blinked back onto Rinth's back, and noted immediately that the stone seemed...not warmer, exactly, but softer. The cold no longer seemed so sharp, the white color no longer so bright. _What is this stone, really?_  Rinth seemed to know much about the stone and the irritable catfish. 

Rinth did not pause as she headed towards shore. _It is old magic, older than I am. He has always been this righteous, ever since I can remember. I brought this stone back, once, but in my anger with him I left it there, not caring if it caused his demise. He was a cruel, ungrateful thing to my younger self, and I was still coming to terms with what I was. You may be the first to take the stone with you; I do not know. But I can only assume that the stone will stay with you until something calls to it again._  

 _Then you do believe that there is something that is drawing the stone back to that lake?_  Isa asked as they reached solid ground again. Turning around, Isa could see that the ice was already melting away, leaving behind no trace of their adventure. 

Rinth shrugged. _I do not know. It is either that, or the old magic that created it made it to stay there, and removing it only delays the inevitable. Perhaps one day they will learn. For now, where would you go, Isa? Shall we visit the Conservatory, and ask the Grandmother what she makes of this?_  

 _That is a good idea,_  Isa agreed, letting Rinth Blink them both.

That was one mystery solved, only to raise more questions. Isa wanted answers, but if the Grandmother could not give them the answers they sought, she thought that perhaps Rinth might be willing to accompany her as she continued the adventure she had started when she found the frost stone. She hadn't realized how much she missed the company of other esks after so many years of solitude.


	3. A Mouse in the Conservatory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Isa finds yet another new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cross-posted [here](https://seacrest-star.deviantart.com/art/The-Conservatory-A-Mouse-735493283).

Rinth had Blinked them to a quiet corner of the Conservatory, beneath a sweeping willow tree that dwarfed even the looming Rinth. Beneath its leafy curtain, Isa felt small, infinitesimal, but Rinth's steady presence lifted her up and let her peer between the crown of branches to the heart of the tree, where a golden crystal shaped like a fox lay nestled in the hollow, protected by the tree's great branches. 

 _This is my tree, so to speak,_  Rinth informed her tiny passenger. _I created it many years ago, when I first came to the Conservatory. This fox is a talisman, of sorts, something that I found once, long ago, among the humans near my boundary._  

Isa considered this. _Do you know what you once were, then?_  she asked, and Rinth shook her head, although she was careful not to dislodge her newfound friend. 

 _No, I do not_ , the larger esk answered. _But this fox reminds me of...something. Perhaps something in my past, perhaps something in my future. I do not know._  She straightened, drawing away from the heart of the tree. _Shall we find the Grandmother?_  

Isa did not answer in words, but the images she transmitted were clear; yes, find the Grandmother, and show her the Frost Stone. Carefully, Rinth ducked between the draping branches, taking care not to bump her head against an overhanging limb as they exited the willow's protection. Beyond the willow was a vast garden, bordered by a forest along the Conservatory's walls. It seemed empty at the moment, bereft of other esks as they traveled towards the center of the conservatory. As they passed an enormous fountain shaped like a fish, Isa perked up. There was another esk here, after all, a white one with a pink clover hat and a necklace of floating stones. They resembled a mouse somewhat with their large false ears and small stature. The white esk was stepping across the stream that the fountain produced, making use of the wide, flat rocks for stepping stones. At the sight of Rinth, they froze momentarily before scampering towards them, apparently heedless of any potential danger. True, the Conservatory was considered neutral ground, and those who made trouble were soon made aware of their transgression, but Isa would have thought that Rinth's immense size would stymie the other esk at least a little.

 _Hello_ , the stranger said, and waited for a response. 

Rinth was the first to react. _Hello, small one_ , she answered, lowering her head to peer down at the white, mouselike esk. It was very small, perhaps the size of a large mouse, a comparison made stronger by its false ears. _Who are you?_  

 _I don't have a name,_  the esk answered simply. _If you must, you can call me She._  

 _She, is it? Well then, She, I am Rinth. And this is Isa,_  she added, projecting the image of Isa's big eyes and gray-green coloring. Within the boundaries of the Conservatory, she felt refreshed, and her nature feature made an appearance once again, twining about her long tail and sprouting from her shoulder blades like makeshift wings in leafy green swathes, dotted by tiny white and purple starflowers. The humans called them sunbonnets; Isa simply called them starflowers, because their five-pointed shape reminded her of stars in the night sky. 

 _Where is everyone?_  Isa asked, curiosity getting the better of her. She had always been a friendly personality, even after her Transformation, and it didn't take long for her to succumb to the lure of meeting new friends. _Did something happen?_  

She shrugged. _I don't know. I was just enjoying the silence._  Something dark flitted across her face. _A trespasser came to my garden. I didn't want to stay._  

Isa and Rinth "looked" at each other in surprise - that is, their mental focus shifted to each other so that they could wordlessly communicate their shock. Although it wasn't uncommon for a trespasser, or indeed, a traveler, to venture into another esk's boundary, typically the trespassers who traveled were not so threatening as to drive other esks away. _Do you know who they were?_  Rinth asked at length. She shook her head. 

 _We seek the Grandmother. Perhaps you can ask her for guidance as well?_  Isa suggested. She got the feeling that She was not quite as old as she and Rinth were, perhaps a little more unsure of herself. Or it could simply be that as an esk, her personality had not yet developed to the point where she felt comfortable thinking of herself as a concrete entity. Some esks were like that, more instinct that conscious thought. 

 _The Grandmother?_  She queried, tilting her head quizzically. _Do you mean the Big One?_  

 _The Grandmother is not large_ , Rinth pointed out, and She shook her head again.

 _No, not big in size, but big in spirit,_  She explained.

 _Ah,_  said Rinth. _Then yes, I suppose. We have a question for her regarding the Frost Stone._  At Rinth's words, Isa obligingly held up the white stone, still trailing tendrils of frost, although they were no longer as painful as they had been when she had first picked it up, what felt like ages ago in the oasis. 

She shook her head nervously. _She frightens me. Not because she's scary! Just...she's so old and wise, and I'm small and young and know barely anything. What if she doesn't like me?_  

Isa Blinked down to where She stood, butting the other esk gently with her head. _She won't. The Grandmother is so old and so wise that she will know that you are afraid, and she will be gentle. She is gentle with all of us, even the trespassers,_  she added grimly. _She can be disappointed in them, yes, but she is never cruel. You should come with us,_  she concluded, gently. 

The white esk hesitated. _All right,_  she agreed. _I'll come with you._  

Rinth lowered her great head again. _Hop on, then_ , she said. _It is time for us to visit the Grandmother._  


End file.
